Ahn Yu-jin’s Golden Cover Ignites Global Buzz and K-Pop Industry Debate

byRuolan Published:
Ahn Yu-jin
Ahn Yu-jin / Courtesy of Instagram

When IVE's Ahn Yu-jin let out her rendition of "GOLDEN"—the outstanding soundtrack from Netflix's K-Pop Demon Hunters—the global K-pop community watched it in complete attention. The vid was uploaded on IVE's official YouTube channel and it has been trending, culminating in 2.85 million views, all earned within a span of four days. The cover does not only feature Ahn Yu-jin's incredible, crystal-clear voice, but it also underlines her complete emotional engagement in every word she sings—something that was confirmed by the plethora of positive comments by the fans and industry people. Many complimented her performance as "very sophisticated and elegant" and were quick to add that it also highly resembled IVE’s iconic songs, thus, it reinforced her image as a versatile idol.

The reactions, nevertheless, were not 100% in favor. In the middle of her being praised for her great vocal skills, there were those not satisfied with the production improvements she received in the track through the online community. A few people that heavily criticized the song seemed to be the ones who were not fully comfortable with the cover; one of them, while claiming something was overdone, asked for “real, raw live singing to be played” dodged it saying, “Aren’t the top notes of the song lip-synced?” Thus, the debate about authentic performance versus industry creation has started. Those supporters of the music industry, who are doing it for a long time, say that audio tuning is an integral and standard part of professional production, especially in the genre where the figures and the voice go together perfectly creating global appeal. It is, as a matter of fact, with the improvements in the recording that Ahn Yu-jin consistently receives appreciation for her inborn talent which she showed in numerous live concerts and TV shows since the time she was a member of IZ*ONE.

Ever since she emerged from the fierce battleground of Produce 101, Ahn Yu-jin has been able to maintain and gradually improve her vocal reputation to be on the international stage today. Many supporters such as producers, other idols, and K-Pop fans have been quick to praise her with the title “hexagonal idol,” which represents the attributes of exceptional ability in singing, dancing, and visual presentation. Not many girls in K-pop have the same level of fluency in music as Ahn Yu-jin does. Endorsement by well-known producers, recognition after tough performances live on TV, and the most impressive live acts in the major festivals are what a woman has locally to maintain her growth in this crowded market of witchcraft. Many people had a similar thought that recurring scandals might be symptoms of the pressures female idols are suffering from instead of the contents and quality of the performance itself.

In the meantime, IVE is standing firmly in the world market, and their last single, “Rebel Heart”, being one of the “25 Best K-Pop Songs of the First Half of 2025” in the US' Billboard, brought them worldwide coverage and the group encore chants at the major festivals in Berlin and Paris. The question of post-editing goes, Ahn Yu-jin along with IVE is a perfect evidence how Korean pop has developed today and it is characterised not only by the authenticity and talent of artists but also top technologies in the field to determine the shaping of the global pop culture of the present.

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